Mountain Biking - steel vs. aluminum?

What are the advantages of aluminum over steel? Steel over aluminum? Is the weight difference of aluminum worth giving up the feel of steel? I rode both and liked the steel better, so I bought it. My buddy is giving me a little grief (good natured of course) about it and was wondering your opinions.

OH man, I've owned a Cannondale, two Kleins (inluding a Mantra), an aluminum Trek and am on my second steel hardtail. If you buy quality steel (Reynolds, Columbus, Dedacciai) the old axiom holds true ... steel is real. I have a Rocky Mountain with Reynolds tubes ... after adding an ultralight wheelset, I can hold my own against anybody on an aluminum hardtail ... well, almost anybody. With the added benefit of retaining sexual potency. :)

The design of the frame is what matters. It's possible to build a frame out of either metal that sucks, or that is great. It's also possible to design a steel frame that is just as light as an aluminum frame the same size, although such a frame will often be more expensive because the design and manufacture of a lightweight, durable steel frame require some finesse.

IMO the component of ride quality in a MTB that's contributed by the metal tends to be masked by the presence of shocks and fat tires, more than with road bikes where the feel of the frame is more immediately evident.

There were a lot more differences between the two frames you compared than just the metal. They had different geometry, angles, tube lengths. They were probably outfitted with different parts. To attribute your preference to just the metal is to oversimplify.

If you found a bike that feels good and makes you want to ride it a lot, you did well. Congratulations!

RichC

I'm with Rich on this one. I also recommend reading what Sheldon Brown has to say about frame materials, i.e., the design counts far more than the material.

I prefer steel because it is a known, proven quantity for me, and because I think it tends to outlast the other materials, and I keep my bikes a LONG time.

I think it is a given that a reputable builder assigns tubes to accent the preformance of a bicycle. Material, the degree of butting, shape, etc. can radically alter the performance charactersitics of any design.

P.S. Note that Sheldon's essay is titled "Bicycle Frame Materials for the Touring Cyclist" (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html) , aren't we talking about mountain bikes here?

I read an interesing article in a german touring mag that did a seried of lab tests and concluded that the ride difference between high-quality steel and thin wall aluminum is the same as simply changing the air pressure in your tires 10psi.

I personaly prefer steel, as it has a much longer useful life. My two main road bikes are still going strong after 29 years (reynolds 531) and 15 years (generic 4130) as opposed to the aluminum frame that cracked after just 7.

I believe it. And I understand your Aluminum problem ... I broke 3 Klein frames.

3 klein?! woah.....what did u do to them? which bikes were they?

My favorite argument to this question is always "Are you riding with a Suspension Fork?" In my experience if you have a front suspension fork you aren't going to convice me that you can tell any difference (except for weight) in the comfort of the bike. I will tell you that if you rode 100 miles on an aluminum road bike and the same 100 miles on a steel road bike, the steel would be more comfortable.

Then you need to ride a few more bikes VooDude, there is a dramatic difference. I have ridden aluminum bikes that rattle your teeth and sprint like horny demons. Conversely, I've ridden behind friends on titanium hard tails and watched the chainstays flex.

I guess I don't have the luxury to test alot of different mountain bikes going down hill out in the mountains or even hills than you may have, but in the 4 years that I worked in a bike shop as the service manager I happen to test drive a few, thousand!! And I guess that is why I still ride a steel bike on an Aluminum rigid fork if you can believe it! I just like steel bikes that tip the scale at under 20 lbs. I guess.

Don't we all?

What do you think about Ti? Is this considered to be an in-between Steel and Aluminum? I really don't have that much time on Ti so I don't know what to think? Anyone?

Having cracked an aluminum frame that I always found to be a pretty rough ride, my next new bike will be steel. I find the ride on a quality steel frame to be more comfortable and I don't have a great track record with Al.